DailyTech has come across a roadmap outlining Intel’s
upcoming Socket P mobile processor socket. "Socket P" will part of Intel’s next generation Santa
Rosa mobile platform and will continue to be a pin-grid array based
socket unlike the land-grid array based desktop processors. There will be no
backwards compatibility with "Socket P," as it will be keyed differently than the
current Socket M. Socket P processors will have pins A1 and A2 removed unlike
pins A1 and B1 of current Socket M processors. Sacrificial "Corner Balls" will
also be introduced with Socket P for greater differentiation with Socket M
processors. Intel's guidance clearly states:

Socket M still has some life in it, however. Before Intel launches Santa
Rosa early next year, Intel will release Merom processors in August which will run on current 945M and 945GM chipsets. This will be known as the Napa "refresh." Users should be able to use first-generation Merom processors in their current notebooks provided that their BIOS supports the new microcode.

Intel has not stated how long the new socket will last, although Socket M stuck around for more than three major CPU revisions.

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